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ER Crimes: The Steele Files #1
Overdose
Dr. Emma Steele doesn’t know there’s a killer lurking in her ER. In between fighting to keep her patients alive, struggling with her bipolar daughter and striving to further her career, her dance card is full.
A deluge of antidote-resistant overdoses, the gruesome death of her mentor and the near-death of a friend shake her to her core and force her into looking for answers. Since she’s annoyingly competent and uncannily efficient, she finds them - just as the killer finds her.
Will Emma live long enough to expose the killer? Or will he silence her first?
You’ll love OVERDOSE if you crave ER drama with split seconds separating life from death. You’ll love it if blood, drugs and dislocated joints give you the warm fuzzies. You’ll love it if you long to see what’s inside the mind of a serial killer.
OVERDOSE: An ER life novel with strong, flawed characters entangled in complicated relationships, life and death fights, and wine. Mostly red.
A deluge of antidote-resistant overdoses, the gruesome death of her mentor and the near-death of a friend shake her to her core and force her into looking for answers. Since she’s annoyingly competent and uncannily efficient, she finds them - just as the killer finds her.
Will Emma live long enough to expose the killer? Or will he silence her first?
You’ll love OVERDOSE if you crave ER drama with split seconds separating life from death. You’ll love it if blood, drugs and dislocated joints give you the warm fuzzies. You’ll love it if you long to see what’s inside the mind of a serial killer.
OVERDOSE: An ER life novel with strong, flawed characters entangled in complicated relationships, life and death fights, and wine. Mostly red.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 8, 2019
1156 people are currently reading
860 people want to read
About the author
Rada Jones
21 books50 followersRada was born in Transylvania, ten miles away from Dracula's Castle. Growing up between communists and vampires taught her that humans are fickle, but one can always rely on dogs and books.
After she immigrated to join her husband, she went to medical school, then worked in the ER for years, but she still speaks like Dracula's cousin.
Her thrillers feature Dr. Emma Steele, a not-so-young ER doc with a moody teenage daughter and a fondness for wine. If blood, gore and serial killers turn you on, check out OVERDOSE, MERCY, and POISON. If you're into dark medical humor, check her STAY AWAY FROM MY ER. But if you're into dogs, the K-9 Heroes series is for you.
To celebrate Gypsy, Rada's beloved German Shepherd, Emma adopted a quirky, bacon-loving K-9 named Guinness who runs her life through Mercy and Poison.
After she immigrated to join her husband, she went to medical school, then worked in the ER for years, but she still speaks like Dracula's cousin.
Her thrillers feature Dr. Emma Steele, a not-so-young ER doc with a moody teenage daughter and a fondness for wine. If blood, gore and serial killers turn you on, check out OVERDOSE, MERCY, and POISON. If you're into dark medical humor, check her STAY AWAY FROM MY ER. But if you're into dogs, the K-9 Heroes series is for you.
To celebrate Gypsy, Rada's beloved German Shepherd, Emma adopted a quirky, bacon-loving K-9 named Guinness who runs her life through Mercy and Poison.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
December 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this book and rate it 3.5* and rounded up. The writer is an ER Dr and has first-hand experience with this area of medicine. The writing kept me engaged and the plotting was not typical which perhaps increased my enjoyment of the book. The book was written during the ramp up of the fentanyl epidemic so things we have heard about in the news now are commonplace were just starting to take hold in 2019. The downside of the book was a large cast of characters and some of the twists and turns could only happen in a novel. I also thought some of the medical roles were not well defined for an ER Doc. Almost everything that can happen happens in this book.
December 29, 2021
Nothing like reading a book written by an ER physician I worked with. But this book was difficult to put down. Written so well I felt like I was there. The ER in the book felt like our own. I even correlated characters with past staff members. Highly recommend!!
December 5, 2025
Excellent thriller
Thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns in this medical thriller.
Keeps you guessing till the end.
You will not be disappointed.
Thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns in this medical thriller.
Keeps you guessing till the end.
You will not be disappointed.
November 17, 2025
Loved it
I love to read medical stories and psychological thrillers. This is the first book I've read that combined the two and it was awesome. Very hard to put down and I loved the raw honesty of the main character who makes absolutely no excuse for who she is. This is the first book I've read by this author and definitely not the last!
I love to read medical stories and psychological thrillers. This is the first book I've read that combined the two and it was awesome. Very hard to put down and I loved the raw honesty of the main character who makes absolutely no excuse for who she is. This is the first book I've read by this author and definitely not the last!
September 21, 2022
Well written
I did and didn't like Emma, the main female character. She was a strong character but then she'd come across as a weak female. I would have preferred her to be strong right through. But other than that, this was a good read
I did and didn't like Emma, the main female character. She was a strong character but then she'd come across as a weak female. I would have preferred her to be strong right through. But other than that, this was a good read
December 21, 2025
Great book, as an old ER nurse brought back memories
January 6, 2025
This was a fun read! Kinda gives Grey's Anatomy vibes, if it was a thriller. Emma is quite an unlikeable main character - I don't know if it was intentional or not though. The way she regretfully talked about being a parent was a bit icky.
Fast paced, left me wanting to know what was happening (though I think the reveal was quite obvious). Already started the next book in the series, which is unlike me to so quickly move into a sequel!
Fast paced, left me wanting to know what was happening (though I think the reveal was quite obvious). Already started the next book in the series, which is unlike me to so quickly move into a sequel!
January 21, 2019
As an avid reader of psychological thrillers, medical mysteries etc. I have to say for a first novel, this was top notch! Exciting characters, storyline, and just enough mystery to keep one guessing! I’m looking forward to the next book! I always love finding new authors and this was is a winner!
January 19, 2025
love: the medical accuracy
dislike: it seems the opinions of the author seeped into the writing which is likely inevitable. however, due to my issues with those opinions at their core, I could not personally give this book higher than a 3.
dislike: it seems the opinions of the author seeped into the writing which is likely inevitable. however, due to my issues with those opinions at their core, I could not personally give this book higher than a 3.
October 28, 2020
Powerful read showing just how intense the opoid fight is. Rada also weaved a great tale of friends, co-workers and enemies
January 23, 2025
I loved Dr. Emma Steele and the way she navigated her ER and relationships, very strong woman! I also loved how her a Taylor’s relationship grew throughout the book, where at first I had my doubts about them.
However, this book took me for a loop and I thought I had it halfway figured out and then BAM, I was wrong.
The opioid epidemic really interest me as it’s truly terrifying how bad it really is and I do believe that people can trick you so easily into thinking they are not involved, but they are.
Wonderful medical thriller and I will absolutely continue to this series.
However, this book took me for a loop and I thought I had it halfway figured out and then BAM, I was wrong.
The opioid epidemic really interest me as it’s truly terrifying how bad it really is and I do believe that people can trick you so easily into thinking they are not involved, but they are.
Wonderful medical thriller and I will absolutely continue to this series.
November 5, 2025
3.5 rounded down
November 15, 2025
Very good!
November 2, 2025
a good and easy read
Twists & turns and easy to read. A page turner. I think you will enjoy this medical thriller. Get it.
Twists & turns and easy to read. A page turner. I think you will enjoy this medical thriller. Get it.
October 29, 2025
Would have thought being an ER nurse I would appreciate an ER doctors medical thriller….this was really lame; elementary writing style; skipped thru last half of book and didn’t even care how it ended. 2 stars was generous
November 10, 2025
Fast paced and raw had me hooked from the first chapter all the way through. The mix of medical chaos and crime made it impossible to put down. A quality read for sure
August 22, 2021
This is one of the best books that I have read lately. Emma was a doctor, so was her husband but they got divorced . Taylor the daughter was in her early teens. She lived with mom and they did not get along at all. This book goes thru a lot of medical information about Emma's duties in the ER. They been getting a lot of OD's from new drugs people been using .Then some doctor started to be found dead. Emma was given more power over the ER and doctors . She was asked to help find out what was happening. Was there missing drugs in the hospital? Taylor moved in with her dad for awhile. Then went missing. They tried to figure out if Taylor was using drugs as one of her friends recently OD'd.
Well they are in for quite a few shockers with their daughter. Emma finds out more and gets into a fight and gets arrested . When is this mess going to finally stop?
Well they are in for quite a few shockers with their daughter. Emma finds out more and gets into a fight and gets arrested . When is this mess going to finally stop?
April 25, 2022
best medical thriller ever!
From the voice of someone who knows the ER like no outsider ever can is an awesome story about the workings not just of a hospital but the minds of those who work there. Between this and her other books, I would love to buy Dr. Jones a cup of coffee and talk as only two women dedicated to the medical field could.
From the voice of someone who knows the ER like no outsider ever can is an awesome story about the workings not just of a hospital but the minds of those who work there. Between this and her other books, I would love to buy Dr. Jones a cup of coffee and talk as only two women dedicated to the medical field could.
February 2, 2020
Quick, fast read. A decent thriller.
September 24, 2021
Excellent
This book will keep you up all night. So many twists and turns throughout the book. It will keep your mind spinning.
This book will keep you up all night. So many twists and turns throughout the book. It will keep your mind spinning.
February 1, 2023
Great read
As a nurse this was written very well and correct for once. The ED is exactly how Dr Steele portrayed it. Medicine facts correct.
As a nurse this was written very well and correct for once. The ED is exactly how Dr Steele portrayed it. Medicine facts correct.
April 27, 2025
I think the book itself is stunning. It is fast paced, accurate for fine detail, a little off beat and honestly refreshing. What I didn't understand were the negative reviews that did not or could not identify the areas that could have made the storyline any better. *Sigh*. People just like to throw mud, I suppose.
As a former ER nurse of over 40 years, I can tell you there is almost total accuracy in the plot. The dialogue is spot on and the action, while a tiny bit off beat, is chaotic and hits all the right moments of tension, without getting too stodgy or bogged down in acronymic language no one can understand. It isn't Grey's Anatomy! I think it might actually be a bit better.
Many commenters said that listening to the audible edition was off-setting. I read later that Megyn Kelly is the voice behind the text. I can only comment on that as being a stupid choice to voice something that is supposed to be action packed and thrilling. Kelly puts me to sleep in moments, especially if I happen to stumble across her mangled speeches on behalf of a certain presidential personage, aka #47. He's an abortion of a human being, a true example of a failed medical procedure. Why the publishers would put his front voice into an otherwise exciting novel is beyond me. She could kill a donut, she's just bland and boring.
that being said, I read this in E-print format. I don't like being read to, I prefer to digest the material in front of me, first hand. The MC is Dr. Emma Steele, a complex and confident MD with a penchant for getting involved in things best left unexplored. She doesn't give up, I will say that, and her determined nature finally does resolve the entire plot into a cohesive and digestible formula, even though there are a few wrinkles to iron out in the process. I found her believable and likeable.
As for Dr. Ken, a somewhat misanthropic throwback to the dark ages of male oriented medicine, he still did not deserve such a gruesome ending.
Crump, on the other hand: Bring it on. Torture the guy until he screams for mercy. I loved his finale.
I will say there is a tiny bit of anti-abortion preaching going on here, but it fits the story line and the supporting cast. There's a clash of faith and some soul searching, but I think it becomes a matter of reading for the thrill of the story rather than reading to find out how wrong someone's position might be. In this story, we won't know for sure.
Since this is 2025, and the entire opioid crisis is now an unrelenting saga of destruction, there isn't much to say about some doctors "suddenly discovering" someone is trafficking in the stuff. We'll never get rid of it, nor will we get rid of the urge some people have to self destruct. booze, drugs, sexual addiction, fetishes, power, money, greed-it's always going to be something that can be marketed and meant to show a profit. Sadly, that never seems to be for life saving issues, like clean water or vaccines, but money talks and we all know how that statement ends.
I think I will keep reading Dr. Rada's adventures. She knows how to tell a good story. After so many years in the trenches, I wish I had that same ability, but I don't. If I did, I would already have made some money and cashed out. Until I manage that, I still need some interesting and fast moving fiction to keep life in perspective.
I hope there's more of Dr. Steele.
As a former ER nurse of over 40 years, I can tell you there is almost total accuracy in the plot. The dialogue is spot on and the action, while a tiny bit off beat, is chaotic and hits all the right moments of tension, without getting too stodgy or bogged down in acronymic language no one can understand. It isn't Grey's Anatomy! I think it might actually be a bit better.
Many commenters said that listening to the audible edition was off-setting. I read later that Megyn Kelly is the voice behind the text. I can only comment on that as being a stupid choice to voice something that is supposed to be action packed and thrilling. Kelly puts me to sleep in moments, especially if I happen to stumble across her mangled speeches on behalf of a certain presidential personage, aka #47. He's an abortion of a human being, a true example of a failed medical procedure. Why the publishers would put his front voice into an otherwise exciting novel is beyond me. She could kill a donut, she's just bland and boring.
that being said, I read this in E-print format. I don't like being read to, I prefer to digest the material in front of me, first hand. The MC is Dr. Emma Steele, a complex and confident MD with a penchant for getting involved in things best left unexplored. She doesn't give up, I will say that, and her determined nature finally does resolve the entire plot into a cohesive and digestible formula, even though there are a few wrinkles to iron out in the process. I found her believable and likeable.
As for Dr. Ken, a somewhat misanthropic throwback to the dark ages of male oriented medicine, he still did not deserve such a gruesome ending.
Crump, on the other hand: Bring it on. Torture the guy until he screams for mercy. I loved his finale.
I will say there is a tiny bit of anti-abortion preaching going on here, but it fits the story line and the supporting cast. There's a clash of faith and some soul searching, but I think it becomes a matter of reading for the thrill of the story rather than reading to find out how wrong someone's position might be. In this story, we won't know for sure.
Since this is 2025, and the entire opioid crisis is now an unrelenting saga of destruction, there isn't much to say about some doctors "suddenly discovering" someone is trafficking in the stuff. We'll never get rid of it, nor will we get rid of the urge some people have to self destruct. booze, drugs, sexual addiction, fetishes, power, money, greed-it's always going to be something that can be marketed and meant to show a profit. Sadly, that never seems to be for life saving issues, like clean water or vaccines, but money talks and we all know how that statement ends.
I think I will keep reading Dr. Rada's adventures. She knows how to tell a good story. After so many years in the trenches, I wish I had that same ability, but I don't. If I did, I would already have made some money and cashed out. Until I manage that, I still need some interesting and fast moving fiction to keep life in perspective.
I hope there's more of Dr. Steele.
December 15, 2025
When Doctors Try To Be Writers
I had such high hopes for this after reading that the writer is actually a physician herself. What began as a promising whodunit devolved into a slew of tired tropes (religion bad, cheating husband, muh toxic masculinity, stuffed in the fridge veteran/drug dealer) with a ‘mystery’ that would make a TLC show look like Agatha Christie. Spare me.
As a medical professional (4th year medical student) I was at least hopeful that the author’s medical knowledge and experience would at least ensure interesting and thoughtful medical scenarios, or ways they were entwined with the plot. Again, not so. The medical info here felt contrived, like the author was showing off with no bearing on the plot or mystery of it. Honestly, with the expectation I had and knowing the medical training of the author I’ve come away from this book with the same feeling of biting into an apple, only to find something wriggling on my tongue. Ew.
I had such high hopes for this after reading that the writer is actually a physician herself. What began as a promising whodunit devolved into a slew of tired tropes (religion bad, cheating husband, muh toxic masculinity, stuffed in the fridge veteran/drug dealer) with a ‘mystery’ that would make a TLC show look like Agatha Christie. Spare me.
As a medical professional (4th year medical student) I was at least hopeful that the author’s medical knowledge and experience would at least ensure interesting and thoughtful medical scenarios, or ways they were entwined with the plot. Again, not so. The medical info here felt contrived, like the author was showing off with no bearing on the plot or mystery of it. Honestly, with the expectation I had and knowing the medical training of the author I’ve come away from this book with the same feeling of biting into an apple, only to find something wriggling on my tongue. Ew.
August 23, 2023
I love a good medical mystery/thriller, but therein lies the problem, finding a GOOD one! As a nurse, I loved the accuracy of the author's portrayal of the ER setting and clinical details.
Dr. Emma Steele is an ER physician who struggles with work/life balance as a single parent. When the ER has a rash of overdoses that do not respond as expected to Narcan, Dr. Steele realizes that she has a problem on her hands. Things escalate when a creepy person hangs around the ER asking for a particular physician, a physician's throat is slit while walking to his car, and a womanizing temporary physician seduces hospital employees. The book was fast-paced, action-packed and was hard to put down. There were several twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
Dr. Emma Steele is an ER physician who struggles with work/life balance as a single parent. When the ER has a rash of overdoses that do not respond as expected to Narcan, Dr. Steele realizes that she has a problem on her hands. Things escalate when a creepy person hangs around the ER asking for a particular physician, a physician's throat is slit while walking to his car, and a womanizing temporary physician seduces hospital employees. The book was fast-paced, action-packed and was hard to put down. There were several twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
September 20, 2025
BALANCING: CAREER & FAMILY & CRIME
As a Emergency Room physician, DR. Steel has a demanding career that has her holding peoples lives in her hands everyday. When she finally comes home she is greeted by the raging hormones of her self-absorbed adolescent daughter who drains her of what little energy she has left at the end of her day. She finds it difficult to share the her increasing concerns regarding her daughter and her job with her Ex who attention is taken with his new piece of candy and their new baby. Throw in the hospital as the natural source of medication; both legal- and illegal and the setting where both life and death can rest in the hands of those whose intentions are not as easy to prove as their medical skills, and you have a book that will in increase your daily consumption of apples! ( As in "An apple a day . . .)
As a Emergency Room physician, DR. Steel has a demanding career that has her holding peoples lives in her hands everyday. When she finally comes home she is greeted by the raging hormones of her self-absorbed adolescent daughter who drains her of what little energy she has left at the end of her day. She finds it difficult to share the her increasing concerns regarding her daughter and her job with her Ex who attention is taken with his new piece of candy and their new baby. Throw in the hospital as the natural source of medication; both legal- and illegal and the setting where both life and death can rest in the hands of those whose intentions are not as easy to prove as their medical skills, and you have a book that will in increase your daily consumption of apples! ( As in "An apple a day . . .)
January 2, 2023
Ok !!!
This story is probably pretty old because by now fentanyl is nothing new, it’s all over the United States it’s an epidemic which can’t be stopped and in this beautiful story which the author Rada Jones have written it’s totally new that the doctors burly have seen the distraction which this drug combines with heroin is causing now which is about a half a million death of overdose a year only at the States.
The story itself is beautifully written full of mystery and twists.
Meghan Kelly perfectly narrated this book and was a great choice for that job.
Oded Ostfeld.
This story is probably pretty old because by now fentanyl is nothing new, it’s all over the United States it’s an epidemic which can’t be stopped and in this beautiful story which the author Rada Jones have written it’s totally new that the doctors burly have seen the distraction which this drug combines with heroin is causing now which is about a half a million death of overdose a year only at the States.
The story itself is beautifully written full of mystery and twists.
Meghan Kelly perfectly narrated this book and was a great choice for that job.
Oded Ostfeld.
January 4, 2025
4.5 rounded down to 4. Emma Steele is an ER Doctor taking on the daily horrors of the emergency room while dealing with family issues. When a drug epidemic hits her city and her mentor is killed, Dr. Steele is shaken to the core. As the overdoses rise, she’s makes it her mission to find whoever is responsible.
•••••
This was a great read! Very fast paced and action packed. It was the perfect blend of drama and real medical scenarios. Sometimes the characters and how they are connected could be a little confusing but it didn’t take away from the story. I could not put this book down! I was guessing until the very end.
•••••
This was a great read! Very fast paced and action packed. It was the perfect blend of drama and real medical scenarios. Sometimes the characters and how they are connected could be a little confusing but it didn’t take away from the story. I could not put this book down! I was guessing until the very end.
August 29, 2025
Medical thrillers are always great for me to read. I worked in the field for a decade. The details were very specific and accurate. This is book one in a series featuring Dr. Emma Steele. She’s a great doctor, but a terrible mother, according to her. Her 17 yo daughter, Taylor, is a troubled girl ever since the divorce of her parents. She blames Emma completely. Emma constantly feels torn between her career that she loves, and the responsibilities of mothering a troubled 17 yo. It’s very relatable. I 100% recommend this book, and have already started book 2, Mercy! I’ll let you know how it goes.
December 13, 2020
Attention ;Psychological thriller junkies
Wow, great read!! I have read many psychological thrillers, and I have been looking for new authors. I must say the first book in the series was like a fresh of breath air. The pages were flying at the speed of light. I'm in the middle of the second book, hiding in the washroom to read just a few more pages, but I had to stop and write a review in hopes of spreading the good news, for the psychological thriller junkies. So well written! Got to go and read some more.
Wow, great read!! I have read many psychological thrillers, and I have been looking for new authors. I must say the first book in the series was like a fresh of breath air. The pages were flying at the speed of light. I'm in the middle of the second book, hiding in the washroom to read just a few more pages, but I had to stop and write a review in hopes of spreading the good news, for the psychological thriller junkies. So well written! Got to go and read some more.
August 8, 2021
Not your usual hospital mystery
Throw together death by overdose, a creepy druggie who hung around the hospital, a doctor getting his throat slit on the way to his car, and a lothario of a doctor and what do you have — a mystery you can’t put down. It was fun to read a medical mystery that didn’t gloss over the details of what it is really like to work in an ER. The characters were well developed and definitely not stereotypes. Needless to say, I can’t wait to get my hands on book two in the Dr. Emma Steele series.
Throw together death by overdose, a creepy druggie who hung around the hospital, a doctor getting his throat slit on the way to his car, and a lothario of a doctor and what do you have — a mystery you can’t put down. It was fun to read a medical mystery that didn’t gloss over the details of what it is really like to work in an ER. The characters were well developed and definitely not stereotypes. Needless to say, I can’t wait to get my hands on book two in the Dr. Emma Steele series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews